NASA

American  

[nas-uh] / ˈnæs ə /

noun

1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration: the federal agency that institutes and administers the civilian programs of the U.S. government that deal with aeronautical research and the development of launch vehicles and spacecraft.

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NASA British  

/ ˈnæsə /

acronym

1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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Usage

What is NASA? NASA is short for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a civilian agency of the United States government that specializes in space exploration and research about flight and aircraft.Aeronautics is the science of flight. Although NASA is most known for space travel and research, it also researches things like supersonic flight, energy-efficient aircraft, and drones.Over the years, NASA has advanced space exploration and made many contributions to science. Its notable programs and missions have included astronaut moon landings, Mars rovers, satellites around planets, and interstellar telescopes.One of NASA’s earliest and most famous programs was the Apollo program, which put the first person on the moon on July 20, 1969.NASA runs numerous missions and programs at its facilities across the United States.

Example Sentences

Those issues aside, the Artemis II crew—Koch, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover from NASA, as well as Jeremy Hansen, representing the Canadian Space Agency—had a packed start to their flight.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

It also neared bankruptcy in 2008 before it was awarded a big contract by NASA.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

In 2026, Intuitive will attempt another moon landing, funded mainly by NASA, while also working with the agency and the Defense Department on space-based communications.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

The work was supported in part by NASA.

From Science Daily • Mar. 2, 2026

I read where Dr. von Braun said he might leave the Army and join NASA.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam